My Soul For His
by RayneEmily
Summary: AU. Gwaine has gotten himself in a lot of trouble, a ghost from his past is back with revenge the only thing in mind. Percy saves him from it at a great cost. He could lose everything, unless someone can save him. Pairings; Percival/Gwaine, established Merlin/Arthur, hints of; Gwen/Morgana, Morgana/Leon, Gwen/Lancelot, Freya/Merlin. Warning; sex, violence and profanity.
1. Prologue

Once there had been a great king who had united his lands, calling the kingdom Albion. But that changed when he died; the lords that lived under him revolted, refusing to be ruled by his wife. She struggled for many years to keep them under her protection, but a few managed to slip away.

Fast forward a couple of hundred years, and the lords that had slipped away felt that they had a right to the kingdom's throne. All but six noble families had joined them in this quest. The six, as they are known today, became the Knights. They struggled will all their might against the attacking forces.

Alas, there was little they could do to prevent Camelot falling. It was weak, and easily destroyed. The ruins lie there to this day. The city was evacuated, the people running to the safe haven that the Pendragons had built hundreds of years past. They fell back, retreating fast.

But, there were a few in each house that knew the ways of war would change if they could create a beast so terrible it would destroy anyone who crossed it. The six scientists slaved day and night over the genetic material needed to create the great beasts.

Each one had made theirs slightly different, changing one line of DNA by adding their own.

The first dragon hatched, breathing flame. He was ruby red and belonged to a man by the name of Pendragon, and his majesty has stayed in the bloodline ever since. This dragon was bonded to the boy, destined to become King.

The second hatched, with the ability to control water. It drew all the liquid from the air around it and formed a small pool in its egg. Its creator was the only one that could get close to it. She was bonded to a woman, a woman with the sea in her eyes and the salt in her lungs.

The third was made with the ability to control the earth. A great earthquake was felt around the world when it was hatched. This dragon was bonded to a man with great affinity to nature, a hermit who lived in the caves of what is now known as Camelot.

The fourth could control the skies; it was born blinded like its creator. Neither saw, but through its owner this dragon learnt to navigate by smell and touch alone. It had no need for sight, at all.

The fifth was hatched a day later than the others, looking like a small lizard. Less than an hour later, it had devoured most of the metal in the room it had been caged in. This was the metal dragon, bonded to a blacksmith.

The last dragon was deemed a failure, but kept by the owner for several years after the others had hatched. No one knew what happened to it. While the other creators grew old and died, taking their dragon-kin with them, the last one never aged. Not for hundreds and hundreds of years.

Each of the six Dragon Lords used their dragon's powers as well as they knew how. The Fire-Lord became king, the Water-Lord became a sea dweller, the Earth-Lord reshaped the world, the Sky-Lord cleared the skies of the black clouds that covered them, the Metal-Lord manned the forge at Camelot.

The families descended from these great men are called the Nobles and they guard the lands of the Pendragon kingdom. Each son giving his life to the protection of the people, each daughter using her wit to teach the children in the villages.


	2. Chapter 1 - Home

Dressed head to toe in black Kevlar body armour, leather boots and soft black capes, the Knights marched on through the muddy terrain. They'd been walking for days, their last village was a week ago and now they were going home. Each of them was drenched in sweat and mud from the long journey. And each of them smelt worse than the toilets when they'd been flooded. Their emotions were strained and each of them were angry with everything around them.

"Keep moving!" Leon urged them, the tiredness in his voice clear. "Come on!"

"Keep your goddamn voice down." Gwaine sighed. He clicked his neck and rolled his shoulders, the marching was beginning to wear down his body as well as his mind. It was boring, and everything looked the same. The scorched trees, the stunted plants, this area wasn't safe for anyone to be travelling. Feral packs of nearly human mutants lurked nearby, willing to tear the flesh off the bones of an unwary traveller.

"Since Arthur isn't here, I am in charge and you will call me Sir." Leon growled, his voice a lot quieter and a lot more dangerous. If this had been anyone but Gwaine, they would have shut up. But Gwaine didn't know when to shut up, and often enjoyed pushing buttons.

"Keep your goddamn voice down, Sir." He said mockingly, a smile playing at his lips. There was a chorus of chuckles from the patrol team, the loudest from Elyan and the softest from Percy, before Leon shot Gwaine a look that could curdle dairy.

"Keep moving." Leon said, his hand on his sword.

Their swords were new, but these weren't the regular swords used by every day troops. No, these were the black swords of the Knights. Each one was made out of a metal that had been discovered inside the mines surrounding Camelot, they could block bullets without taking any damage; yet when there was a fire and a hammer nearby with someone willing to use them properly, the metal could by bent to anyone's will.

"May-" Gwaine started one more smart ass reply but was interrupted by Elyan's shout of joy.

"HOME!" Elyan yelled, his face lit up and a huge beam showed off his teeth. "We're home!"

"Home?" Lance cocked his head, looking out over the plain beneath them. It clicked in his head that he was looking right at it, the cliff on the other side of this plain was where Camelot was. From here it was impossible to make out the city's walls. But with an hour or so of walking, they'd be there.

Camelot stood against a cliff, the concrete walls blended with the grey stone of the cliff. Deep caverns went miles into the cold, hard earth seemingly all the way into the core. Small villages nested atop it, their only jobs were to produce the food and electricity for the populous that dwelled within the caves.

It had been built as a last resort, a hiding place for a few thousand people. Safety from the roaming packs of wild bandits, the mutated animals and the feral dogs that attacked anything with a pulse. The nuclear bombs that had ruined the bloodstreams of the royal and the noble had wrecked the land. As such, there was only a limited space for the Pendragons to rule over, but they did it well. Despite the fact that the current king, Uther Pendragon, despised mutants.

"Let's get going boys!" Leon grinned, pushing past them all and nearly running down the sloped hill that led to the plain of tall grass. The tired Knights followed him, each nearly tripping over their own feet in their haste to get down the hill. They found a worn path through the grasses that were nearly as tall as Percy, and started down it.

About half an hour later, their tiredness was gone. Instead there was an air of excitement and a slight buzz. They were close enough to the city to hear the general hubbub of a small city and to smell the ashes in the smoke that left the chimneys. The hot sun beat down on their shoulders, but it was less than the scorching hot that had crushed them the last seven days. The air was warm rather than scalding, and it no longer hurt to breathe in too deeply.

"I love this!" Gwaine grinned, taking a deep breath of the air. "Smell that, you can smell the forges."

Percy nodded, a grin on his face, he'd once said that if he wasn't a Knight, he might have become a blacksmith. Gwaine had a love of all things common; if it wasn't noble he was attracted to it like a moth to a flame.

"Hot food!" Elyan exclaimed, waving his arms around his head. The others were lucky his sword was in its sheath and his gun was strapped across his back. "Warm beds! Showers!"

"Women." Gwaine chimed in, a sly look in his eyes.

Elyan flushed, his cheeks turning darker. "I..."

Gwaine's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Never?"

"I- uh..." Elyan saw the entire group's eyes on him. He dropped his own eyes to his shoes. "Fuck you, man." He turned on the ball of his feet and stalked off into the tall, dead grass, hiding his face.

Gwaine opened his mouth, he looked like a fish until he said "I was just kidding, I didn't..."

"You need to be more careful with what you say. 'Specially to the kid." Percy muttered as he pushed past Gwaine into the tall grass that Elyan had just walked into.

He followed the trail of dead, broken grass and eventually caught up to Elyan who was sat on a stone in a small clearing. He was staring at the ground, muttering to himself. Percy stood there for a second, letting Elyan decide what to say.

"He... I mean, it..."

"He was just being a dick," Percy offered, "it was just a joke."

"I know," Elyan smiled weakly, "it's just that I feel... Bad for not having... You know."

"Yeah." Percy nodded, walking over to Elyan and sitting next to him. "Trust me."

They sat in silence for a second before Elyan muttered, "I just haven't found the right one, yet. You understand?"

"Yeah, me neither." Percy admitted. Elyan's eyebrows shot up and hid in his hair. Percy laughed, a sweet chuckle. "What, you think I have? No, not yet. I... Can't do it." He paused, looking at the younger man, "Can't talk to people much, don't make friends easily either. It's the stature, scares them off."

"Really? Well, don't worry, man. I think you're hot." Elyan laughed, play punching Percy's huge arm.

Percy rolled his eyes and leaned back against the pleasantly warm rock. "Of course you do. I'm the hottest guy you know."

"Oh, I don't know..." Elyan grinned, flexing his arms, "I'm pretty hot myself."

They were both laughing when Leon's head popped into the clearing. He looked worried, his eyes were searching them both for and sort of wound. "Goddamn it you two, you completely disappeared. Don't go off and sulk like a child Elyan, it's not professional."

Elyan nodded and stood up, Percy followed him and together the three made it back to the path. They walked on in silence, with Elyan and Percy shooting each other secret glances and covering smirks. The atmosphere as they joined the Knights was relaxed, with a small apology from Gwaine that Elyan insisted wasn't necessary.

"Now, you two especially," Leon chided, "stay on the damn path!"


	3. Chapter 2 - Sparring

They arrived at Camelot's gates about a half hour later, it was about four in the afternoon and the heat of the day was mainly over. The entry was unceremonious, with just a scout to show them to their beds and the shower. The group split into two sections, one that just wanted to sleep, and one who felt the need to shower. The first section was made up of Leon and Lance. The second was Gwaine, Percy and Elyan.

Leon and Lancelot trailed off to their beds, collapsing onto them and falling asleep almost instantly. Gwaine and Elyon ran to the showers, Gwaine stripping on the way. Percy walked behind at his own pace, watching the people around him. Some of them looked fit and healthy, but the majority looked sickly from being inside the caves too long, red from being under the sun too long, or thin. A lot of people looked thin, even the solders. His eyes cast over the people running around with weapons, or food, or even clothes. It was nice being back in the city, even if he was only in the army district.

He reached the showers, a stone building where hot water was pumped through the pipes and came out scalding. It was exactly what he needed right now; after nearly a month on the move, hot showers were a welcome extravagance. He wandered into the building, ripping off his top as he kicked off his boots. He picked up and towel and slung it around his neck. He stripped his trousers off and wandered into a showering cubicle before removing his underwear.

As Percy stood under the stream of heated water, Gwaine was humming to himself and Elyan was telling him to shut up. Percy smirked to himself and shut his eyes. He ran his fingers over his scalp and felt the collected dirt wash away. It felt so good to be clean again, even if he did have to listen to Gwaine sing badly and Elyan complain about it.

"Gwaine, please stop it. I like that song and you're actually butchering it."

"And eyyyy-aaayy-eyyyyeeeee will alwaaaaays loooove yooooooo-ohhhhh."

"Gwaine, shut the fuck up!" Elyan shouted, throwing his shirt across the stall divider and smacking Gwaine in the face with it. There was a muffled yelp and then Elyan was begging Gwaine to "at least put some pants on". Percy didn't even want to know what they were up to, but it sounded like Gwaine had his hands over Elyan's mouth and was singing badly.

"Quit it Gwaine." Percy muttered, ducking out of the shower and picking up his towel. He wrapped it around his waist and walked past them; Elyan was in a headlock with his mouth covered by one of Gwaine's hands. Percy pulled one of Gwaine's locks as he walked past, Gwaine let go of Elyan, who dashed to grab a towel to wrap around his naked body.

The three of them were now semi wrapped in towels with huge grins on their faces, being home had made them giddy with delight. Percy felt himself about to yawn, but locked his jaw so that it wouldn't be seen. Knowing Gwaine, something would have been shoved down his throat if he had yawned. The feeling passed and Percy grabbed his clean clothes, pulling on his trousers and letting the top hang over his shoulder. He dropped his own dirty clothes into the laundry and left the showers. Not before Gwaine shouted something about his fine ass though.

Percy smiled and let the sun hit his bare, broad shoulders as he wandered to the training room. He stood outside for a second, watching the new troops sparing. A pair stopped, both of their eyes fixed on him. One said something that he was too far away to hear and the other laughed, blushing slightly. Neither looked at him as brazenly again, instead they gave him small glances and seemed to tease each other about something.

Their drill master told them to stop and take a break. Both of the boys that had been looking at Percy drifted away from the group, towards him. Quickly, Percy put his shirt on and walked down to the training grounds. He picked up a sword and hefted the weight in his right hand. This was one of the training swords, several years old and made of plain unadorned metal. Nothing like his own Knight sword, which was on its way to be cleaned and repaired along with the other Knights' swords.

He faced the straw dummy across the field. It was about the height of a normal person, which was good, but it was still. It lacked the sharp, jerky movements of the hunter packs or the slow, liquid movements of their mages. He pushed all those thoughts out of his mind and attacked it, slicing it from the navel to the jaw and then beheading it in one smooth motion. The two boys looked impressed, and so did a few of their classmates.

A small group broke off to come and see what Percy was doing. He'd set up five more dummies and viciously carved a path through them. A familiar laugh came from the top of the stairs. Percy looked up and Gwaine was stood, a shadow against the sun. He descended and picked up a sword from the rack.

"Come on, I want to play." He teased, smirking. "Dolls are no fun."

Percy bit his lip and nodded. "Sure, yeah." He spun the blade in his hand, gently pacing up and down, deciding where to get the best position. He knew that Gwaine was fast, but he had strength Gwaine could only dream of. He was going to be careful so that he didn't hurt the smaller man.

Gwaine smirked and asked the youngers to step back, which they did. He bounced on the balls of his feet and launched himself at Percy, violently bringing his sword down to hit the taller man's head. Percy's instincts kicked in and his sword raised to meet Gwaine's, he battered it aside and tapped Gwaine's side lightly. There was a soft "ooh" from the crowd. Gwaine span around and tapped Percy's arm, lightly drawing his sword over the skin. A dark line of blood sprung up from the edge of the sword. The crowd hissed air through their teeth and a few small comments were heard.

"Oh shit, Perce. I'm sorry." Gwaine said, lowering his sword.

Percy looked at it, wiping away the blood with his thumb. "No problem." He flicked his wrist and caught Gwaine's inner thigh. "But you'd be a whole leg less right now, if this was a real fight."

Gwaine laughed and struck another three blows, all of which Percy parried, but not with ease. He was a lot larger than Gwaine; and while he had the strength, Gwaine had the speed. They sparred for nearly half an hour, while their audience grew larger and larger. Several training squads had been dismissed and were now congregating around the recently returned Knights.

The sun had begun to set and the air was getting colder. Percy saw Gwaine shiver, so he put his sword down. "I'm done."

"Not fair." Gwaine complained, "Neither of us won."

"I forfeit then." Percy shrugged. He pushed through the quickly disappearing crowd and padded up the stairs. His large steps made Gwaine jog to catch up. "I'm hungry."

"You quit our fight, for food?" Gwaine sighed. "God, I just... You're so... Ugh."

Percy nodded, "Yup."

"It was fun though, maybe we should do it again?" Gwaine offered, a slight hint of a please in his voice but not on his lips.

"Sure," Percy nodded. "If you can get up early enough."


	4. Chapter 3 - Dinner

They'd been walking through the stone streets and had reached the troop dining hall. When the sun was setting, most people came for dinner. They were late for the crowd, but the hall didn't shut. At least, not for them.

Being recently back from patrol meant they got double the food everyone else did, and it was sorely needed. The weight loss that each of them experienced over the month long trip was incredible. Eylan, who had been just shy of chubby when they'd started out, had to craft himself a new hole in his belt. Gwaine looked slim, but not gaunt. Something about him made the women of the villages want to feed him, then do something else beginning with an f to him.

Percy waved at the cook, who was very happy to see them back. She was a bustling lady with a large frame and a short stature, who went by the name of Elaine. Her face was red from being in the kitchen, but she scampered over to them as quickly as her legs could carry her. Her bright red hair was trapped in a bun but there were a few strands loose, which crossed her face.

"Oh, dear, I'd heard you boys were back!" She pulled Gwaine into a rub crushing hug and Percy gently bent down and hugged her. She shot a look at Gwaine and shook her head, "You started stripping, or so I heard. Nearly gave my new girl a heart attack. Seeing a nearly naked man running about the city... Honestly, you should be ashamed of yourself."

Gwaine shrugged, "Maybe I should be, but I'm not, El."

"You're a naughty little bugger and no mistake." She turned to Percy, "And you love, you're bleeding."

Percy smiled, "We were sparing. Didn't realise the swords were sharp."

Elaine tutted and turned around, all her skirts tangling around her feet. She cursed and picked them up before bustling back to the kitchen. Gwaine and Percy found Elyan and Lance sat at a table, discussing the benefits of a Desert Eagle over a dagger. Percy and Gwaine took a seat at the wooden table, and continued talking about their plans to spar again.

A while later, a servant appeared, carrying four plates full of meat and vegetables. Two plates balanced on his right arm and two in his hands, he was skilled as a waiter. He gently placed the plates down on the table in front of the Knights.

There was a chorus of "about time" and "it smells so good". Percy and Elyan shot each other a look and scrambled to take the steaks of the other's plate. Good natured slaps were exchanged, Elyan's hands all over Percy's. Both of them were laughing, but Lance took his plate carefully from the fray. He was using a knife from his belt, carefully cutting it into strips. Gwaine smiled at his plate.

"Anything else I can get you?" The servant asked, sounding rather bored.

Gwaine looked up, and choked. His face turned pale and his hands shook. "C- Cat?"

The servant was blonde with long flowing hair that was bound midway down his back. He had long, slender fingers and arms, his wrists poking out of an ill fitting uniform. He was definitely new, Percy had never seen him before. His voice was soft, but cold, "Gwaine, what are you doing here? I thought I was rid of you."

"You can't be here... No," Gwaine stumbled out of his seat, barging into someone behind him. "I- I have- I have to go." He turned, but instead of apologising to the rather offended troop, he sprinted for the door. Gwaine didn't look back.

Percy stood up, looking over the heads of the people around him. He turned back to the servant, who was walking away. Lance jumped over the table and grabbed the servant by the collar, pushing him roughly against the table, a knife pressed against his throat. "Who are you?"

"Cati- igern." The servant stuttered. Elyan looked at him, then at Percy and at Lance. There was a group of people surrounding them, trying not to stare but failing. Lance yanked Catigern to his feet and pushed him roughly in the direction of the kitchen. Percy and Elyan followed, leaving their meals discarded to grow cold.

Elyan pushed the door to the kitchen open and held it while Lance shoved Catigern through it. Elaine cried out, worrying that they were going to break things. "What are you doing?!"

"This," Lancelot jerked his chin at Catigern, "boy did something to Gwaine."

"Cat?!" Elaine asked, shocked, starting forwards. "He wouldn't hurt a fly."

Percy shook his head, pulling her back from Lance. "Not like that. Gwaine knew him, he's someone from Gwaine's past."

"I-" Catigern started, his face flushing with anger, "I didn't know he'd be here! And I have every right to be angry with him."

Lance loosened his grip on Catigern's shirt. Catigern stood up properly, pulling Lance's hand away from him. Elyan was stood against the shut door, his arms folded across his chest. "Tell, or you're not leaving."

"I was his servant, and he lied to me."

"So? you were just a servant."

"I was more than that! He... used me, and then when his father found what he was doing, I was fired. I spent three years looking for another job that would take me. Because of his lies and slander. Three years of living rough, not eating enough, looking after my own injuries in that godforsaken sun, I nearly died."

"You were a rich boy's plaything." Lance muttered, "And that is who you see, not the man he has grown into."

"He will never grow. He is a vile, disgust-" Catigern was stopped by a single blow across his face. Elaine had slapped him across his face, leaving a bright red handprint.

"Never talk about him like that." She muttered, gathering her skirts in one hand. "He is a good man, and I will not have you slandering his reputation."


	5. Chapter 4 - Search

Percy walked out into the cool night air, his skin was hot from the kitchens and he was hungry. But that didn't matter, what mattered was finding Gwaine. Hopefully he wouldn't be reacting to this like he normally would, because Percy didn't think he'd have the heart to pull Gwaine from a girl's bed.

Assuming, of course, that it was a girl's bed he found solace in. From what Percy knew of Gwaine, and from what Catigern had hinted at, Percy was no longer so sure that Gwaine only liked the fairer sex.

He pushed those thoughts aside and focused on finding his friend. If Gwaine wasn't in the mood to show his face, where would he go? Maybe the tavern? Percy decided to go to the tavern anyway, even though it seemed most likely that Gwaine wasn't there.

He wandered through the stone streets, looking around for any alleyways he might have to check later on. There was a lull about the city now, not many people were still out. Most of the troops had collapsed in their small cots, which was something Percy was very much looking forward to. He doubled his pace and soon arrived outside the only lit building on the street.

The tavern had a wooden door, like most of the shacks in the district, but this one was black. It as said that the door was made from a tree that had been struck by the force of the bombs and survived it. It was a local good lucky charm, so anyone with problems came by here a few times a week.

Percy pushed the door open and looked around the crowded room. There in the corner was someone he recognised, but it wasn't Gwaine. The blonde was huddled into a booth with his unofficial boyfriend, the dark haired Irish manservant. Merlin was in here a lot, with Arthur usually in tow. He walked over to the table and smiled at his commander, his prince.

"Hello Arthur."

"Perce!" Arthur grinned, moving over. "Come, come. Sit. Merlin and I were just discussing what happened on the patrol before I was called back for the... Uh, thing I was called back for happened. And you could tell him what it was like without me."

Percy shook his head, "I can't, even though I'd love to. I'm looking for Gwaine, he was upset earlier and I was just wondering if anyone here had seen him."

Merlin, who was Arthur's manservant for all intents and purposes, was a lithe black haired lad. Probably about Percy's age, maybe even older. He was several years younger than the prince but they seemed to have formed a bond that most people spoke of only behind closed doors. He spoke up, his gorgeous Irish accent making Arthur pay extremely close attention. "Gwaine was here about a half hour ago. Ordered more drinks than I've seen anyone do in my whole life."

Percy nodded, "Sounds like him. Did you see where he went?"

"I'd assume back to his room, to sleep it off." Arthur shrugged.

"Uh, he said something about going for a swim..." Merlin muttered, "But he probably went back to his room, yeah. There's no swimming pools around here."

Percy frowned, his eyebrows knitting together. "But there's a lake."

Arthur's face became stony and serious. "You go now, I'll get the others and see if we can find him at the lake. If you find him, take him to the barracks. Merlin will stay there with Elyan while we search."

Percy nodded, taking orders was a lot easier than making his own plans. He turned and walked out of the door, his legs already moving father than usual. He urged himself into a jog, and then a sprint. He was barrelling down the paths, lucky there was no one around to get in his way.

He turned a sharp corner and pummelled down the road that led to the lake. Not many people came here, it was mainly for funerals. The road was deserted, but there was a fresh track of footprints in the muddy road. Percy found himself running harder, pumping air in and out of his lungs until his throat burned.

He skidded to a halt by the lakeside. There was no one around. The lake was a basin of water than was fed by two rivers coming down from the cliff, it in turn fed one that connected to the sea. Nobody knew how deep the lake was, any attempt to survey it had resulted in destroyed equipment. These failed attempts had spawned a local legend that there was a colony of mutants in the water, so no one came by here anymore.

The sun had set and there was no light but the moon. The water was black, and reflecting the silver of the moon it looked dead. There was no life growing around the lake. Percy couldn't see into the lake, the water was rippling too much.

The water was rippling.

Percy kicked off his shoes and waded into the water. The waves that his entry caused spread about half way across the water before dying. The cold that climbed into his bones made him gasp, he was already shivering. Percy blocked it out and waded into the water until I reached his chest, taking a deep breath he dived into the water.

Everything was lit by the silvery moon, there were too many shadows in the water and Percy couldn't see anything. He swam out into the middle of the lake and looked around him. Nothing. The water was pushing down on him from all sides, his chest was on fire.

He broke the surface of the lake and gasped for air, his lungs were killing him. He cast around himself desperately. Swallowing another lungful of air he dropped back down under the surface, going deeper. His eyes searched the black waters desperately, Gwaine had to be here somewhere.

There!

There was something, over there. A light that was too bright to be the moon. Percy swam for it, hoping it might be something metal Gwaine was wearing reflecting the light. He was shivering while he was swimming, dragging himself through the water. He couldn't breathe but it didn't matter.

The light wasn't Gwaine's chain. It was a woman's eyes. She held the long haired Knight in her arms, cradled like a child. Her hands were webbed, she had a tail and strong legs that kept her still in the water. She was beautiful, and her smile was sweet until she looked at Percy.

When she saw Percy, all the beauty that had been cloaking her was torn away; her face was terrible, sharp cheekbones and a high forehead. Her lips pulled back in a cruel smile that showed her sharp teeth. Her eyes glowed silver, echoing the moon above them.

Percy didn't care that his lungs were burning and that his mind was screaming to him that he was going to die down here in these waters. He didn't care that his body was getting slower and slower as the cold leached his life away. He didn't even care that he might not have the energy to make it back to the surface.

He did care that Gwaine was in the arms of a mutant, one that had killed before.

"I will not give him back." She hissed, her voice was like honey and poison. "He is mine, he came to me willingly."

Percy swam closer, unable to say anything. He reached out for Gwaine's arm. Her tail flicked around Percy's wrist. It was barbed, cutting into his flesh. Percy yelped, the oxygen escaping his lungs.

She looked at him for a second, breathing in the water that had mixed with his blood. Percy felt his lungs constrict. He couldn't keep this up, not any more. He was getting tired, his eyes closing for longer and longer when he blinked. He knew he had to ask her for one thing, just one thing before he gave in.

"Please..." Percy muttered, looking the woman in the eyes, using the last of his breath to plead for Gwaine's life. He swallowed the cold water of the lake and gave his body to the current. He slipped into unconsciousness as his body sunk through the depths.


	6. Chapter 5 - Wake

Gwaine woke up with a pounding headache. His mouth was dry and he didn't want to sit up. He pulled the sheets over his head and buried down into the bed.

"Arthur," the Irish voice called from the corner of his room, "he's awake."

The door opened and Arthur walked in, loudly. Gwaine moaned and wrenched his eyes open, crawling out of bed. He realised he was just wearing his boxers. Same ones from yesterday, deep blue.

"What the hell happened?" He asked, rubbing his eyes.

"I was going to ask you the same thing." Arthur said, his voice sharp and cold. He was frustrated with Gwaine, and Gwaine had definitely given him enough reasons to be. "You run out of the mess hall, get drunk in the tavern, take a swim in the lake. And," Arthur paused, "Percy is missing."

"Perce?" Gwaine looked up, his eyes surrounded by dark bags. "Missing?"

"He was looking for you, at the lake." Arthur shook his head. He shooed Merlin out of the room and paced by the door. His hands swung loosely by his side, and his blonde hair was messy. "He's the only reason we found you. We were looking for him. We still are looking for him."

"Oh." Gwaine remembered something; he remembered walking into the lake but nothing after that. He was with someone, a woman... She was so pretty. But he couldn't remember her face, or her name, or what she actually looked like.

"Are you okay Gwaine?" Arthur asked, placing a hand on Gwaine's lean shoulder. His voice was full of genuine concern, and he sat next to his friend. "Don't blame yourself."

"How did you-?"

"You're an open book sometimes." Arthur smiled, standing up. "Come on, get dressed. We'll eat together."

He left the room. As he walked out the door, Gwaine caught sight of Merlin stood across the hall. The boy's face brightened considerably when the prince exited alone. No wonder there were rumours, Gwaine smiled to himself, Merlin could barely contain their... Love? It was more than lust, that Gwaine knew.

He looked around himself, the room he was in was probably the one he'd been assigned. Gwaine wandered to the wardrobe and pulled it open. Inside was a selection of different black and red garments. Each was emblazoned by the fiery dragon of the Pendragons.

Gwaine grabbed a low cut shirt that showed off a lot of his chest and a pair of moderately baggy trousers. He clambered into them before looking around for his shoes. He couldn't find them, no matter where he looked. Gwaine pushed open the door to his room and-

Arthur had Merlin pushed against a wall, his wrists held above his head. Their lips were meeting again and again, Merlin moaned as Arthur's free hand massaged his bulging groin. Arthur lowered his lips to Merlin's neck and nipped gently at the skin, butterfly kisses trailing down his neck, across his collar bones and back up on the other side.

"Arthur," Merlin moaned into Arthur's mouth, "please..."

Gwaine didn't even bother to break them up, he turned around and walked straight back into his room. Searching through his draws one last time, Gwaine looked for his shoes. He didn't find them, he did find his sword though. The black blade gave him some confidence. The handle was familiar in his hand, it was like an old lover. It had been returned to him some time last night, presumably.

He strapped his sword to his side and picked up his hunting knife. He slid it into a strap around his left thigh, keeping it there in case his sword wasn't enough. He picked up a small gun, a Beretta m9, and tucked it into his pocket. Now he was pretty much ready, he turned to the window.

Gwaine never really liked to break up couples that were clearly enjoying their time together, so had decided that climbing out of the window was the best option. He flung the shutters open and effectively threw himself out if it.

...

Elyan ran through the corridors, desperately searching for his sister. He was sprinting, and that meant he was skidding to a halt any time someone got in his way. It was the most infuriating thing.

He saw his sister walking through the halls, dressed far too well in a green silk top and black pants. Her slim figure was only exaggerated by being encased in the beautiful clothes that Morgana had gotten her. Elyan had ignored the rumours, but now a few things stood out. Her hair was slightly messy and she looked flushed, her lips moist. He shook his head and cleared the thought from his mind.

"Gwen! Gwen!" He gasped desperately as he barrelled into the wall beside her. "Fucks sake, Gwen. You're hard to find."

"Hello Elyan." Gwen said with a sly smirk. "What's going on?"

"Perce is missing. Arthur's with Gwaine. Merlin fixed me up. I- uh... I need your help."

Gwen's face had gone from blissful, to mother hen in an instant. She was ruffling her feathers, preparing to help, "Anything you need."

...

Percy rolled over, his mouth tasting like gravel and blood. He blinked twice against the dim light and sat up. He was in a cave, the dim light filtering down through the cracks was enough to illuminate the small area he was lying in but nothing more.

"Finally," a voice came from the darkness of the cave. "For a while there, I wasn't sure you'd wake up. She can be so careless."

Percy turned around, his eyes straining to see the body that his ears could tell should be standing right there. He couldn't see anyone. "What do you want with me?"

"Nothing." The voice said, rather harshly. It stirred a memory in Percy's head, a recent one, but his head was too fuzzy to bring it to the forefront of his mind. "You're not the one I asked for."

"Asked... For?" Percy stumbled to his feet. He was chained to the wall, shackles around both ankles. He rubbed his wrists, aware that they must have been chained too, the fiery telltale marks were on them. There was a ring of small cuts around his wrist. Like someone had taken a light blade to it.

The small man walked into the light, his blonde hair untied and floating around his shoulders. He scowled, "You're not Gwaine. I asked her to give me Gwaine."

Percy blinked. He knew that face, from... "Catigern?"

Catigern smiled, a one sided smirk that threw the shadows on his face into disarray. "You remember my name."

Percy nodded, his brows coming together. "What do you have against Gwaine?"

Catigern's face took on a decent mask of shock, but truly Percy knew he didn't feel it. He faux gasped and raised a delicate hand to his mouth. "Oh dearie me, you've got me all wrong!" He snickered, "I've got nothing against Gwaine... It's just, I didn't take too kindly to being dumped so unceremoniously."

Percy raised an eyebrow. "Were you expecting flowers and a choir?"

Catigern's face turned stony, deep in his eyes something flared up. Anger. Which was not quelled by the blue of his eyes, but enhanced. "I was his lover, his first. I taught him everything."

Percy's eyebrows shot up, "You're the one that took his innocence?"

"His virginity? Yes. His innocence? He'd had that knocked out of him long before I arrived. His father was a harsh man, fond of placing blows onto those that couldn't withstand them."

Percy nodded, swallowed the dry taste in his mouth and prepared to ask his next question. Before he could though, a rather large whip was brought from behind Catigern's back.


	7. Chapter 6 - Meeting

Percy gritted his teeth, biting back the cries that were aching to escape his mouth. Each blow of the whip burned like fire, marking his broad back with thin white stripes that soon glowed red. A few of these lines crossed each other - those points where were the pain flared most.

Catigern had a firm grip on the whip; smooth arcs caused the air to make that infamous sound, the lash meeting the skin caused a crack that echoed through the cave. Catigern snickered when Percy started to bleed - moving faster and faster.

Percy felt the floodgates open. His skin split and the blood poured from him, wetting the whip. His jaw unclenched and he let out a small whimper - the pain was consuming him alive.

It was only minutes later that Percy fell forwards, his chains rattling as his chest heaved. Blood ran in small rivers down his back, mixing with the sweat and dirt that coated him. His shirt was in tatters, it hung loosely around his neck and waist. He let out a low moan, letting his lips barely part, while gently clenching his muscles in an effort to feel something other than pain.

"Do you understand now, Percival?" Catigern whispered, his face was inches from Percy's. His fingers scraped along Percy's unshaven jaw, gently tilting his head up. His startlingly blue eyes looked full of pain and pity, he looked genuinely sorry for what he was doing. "They don't need you."

...

Gwaine landed on his feet with a soft thud, pressing his toes into the rock he bounced on the balls of his feet for a second. He decided the quickest way to the lake was via the kitchens. And it was probably the least obvious way too, no one else would find him running it.

He set off, his sprinting caused his chest to heave and his head to spin. Gwaine ran through the streets barefoot, feeling the rough stone under his feet. He launched himself down the passages meant for horses and riders, pushing air out of his lungs as fast as he could.

He sped through the military district and reached the mess hall. He slowed down, not wanting to draw too much attention to himself. He ran around the back of the kitchens and passed into the narrow passage. There was only width for one person in this tunnel and Gwaine's luck seemed to be holding.

A soft click alerted him to the door opening. A young girl stepped out, her hair was dark brown, her face was soft yet angular, and she had a half-eaten strawberry in her hands that was dripping juice down her wrist. She lapped it up and finished the strawberry before turning around and noticing Gwaine.

She froze like a rabbit in lantern light. Her body was frozen and she started shaking. "I... No."

Gwaine suddenly knew why. She was the woman from last night. In two strides he'd crossed the gap between them and was peering down at her. He was a good head taller than her and his muscle made him a lot more intimidating. How could he have forgotten her?

She half turned, ready to bolt. But Gwaine's hand shot out and caught her wrist, still sticky from the strawberry. She was trapped in his grip. "Please," he began, "help m-"

The girl wasn't there any longer. Instead there stood a woman with flowing dark green hair, so green it could well be black. She was gently scaled, dark green, light green, all shades of blue and black. They sparkled almost in the early morning sun. Her neck had gently moving gills cut into it, as delicate as she was. Her eyes were luminescent, glowing pools; as though someone had bottled the moonlight and poured it into her.

If this was any other creature, it may have been disgusting. Yet she retained her shape and her beauty; a young woman covered in soft scales.

"What do you want from me?" She asked, her voice nearly breaking as she tried not to cry.

Gwaine ran his fingers over her wrist. Feeling the scales under his hand made it seem less surreal. He shook his head and dropped his hand to his side.

The girl with the brown hair stood before him again. A pink flush covered her cheeks and she couldn't meet his eye. "You shouldn't have seen that."

"I've seen it before." He said as calmly as he could, "Last night, in fact. When you tried to drown me."

The girl burst into tears, her shoulders shaking. She brought her hands to cover her face and sobbed. Gwaine's instincts took over and he pulled her close. She was scaled once more, but he held her to his chest and let her cry.

"I didn't want to." She muttered into his shoulder. "I didn't want to hurt you."

"Then..." Gwaine paused, not quite sure what to say, "Why?"

...

Gwen rushed to Morgana's room, knocked on the door and waited for the usual "come in". It didn't come. She gently knocked again, "Morgana?"

Nothing. Gwen gently pushed the wooden door open. The room was an absolute mess; the bed clothes were all ruffled, the clothes that Gwen had laid out only half an hour ago were on the floor, the curtains looked like they'd been pulled down.

Gwen's stomach dropped. If Percy hadn't gone missing, she might have been able to look over this and come back later. But he had. And she was definitely worried.

"Morgana?" She called softly, letting herself into the room. There was a soft moan from the en suite. Gwen never let herself into that room, it was Morgana's private space. She tiptoed to the door and listened. Soft, repetitive mewling sounds reached through the thick wooden door. Gwen blushed furiously and stumbled back from the door, she knocked into the table as she did so.

The sounds stopped, sharply. There was a slight hint of panic about how quickly they stopped, and Gwen felt terrible. She gathered herself and began picking up the bed sheets as though she had no idea of what was going on.

Morgana opened the door, peering out. "Oh, it's you Gwen!" She sighed, extremely relieved. "I thought... Never mind."

Gwen smiled at Morgana and put the sheets down. "Should I come back later?"

"Yes, that would be good. Thank you Gwen." Morgana smiled, showing off her brilliantly white teeth. Gwen half curtsied and left the room as fast as she physically could.

Elyan should have told her Leon was back.

...

The girl had stopped crying, her eyes were wiped clean and she sniffed. "S- sorry."

Gwaine shook his head, "Don't be. I just, don't understand... I guess?"

She grabbed his hand - her grip was surprisingly strong - and started walking at a quick pace in the direction he had wanted to go in, pulling him along behind her. "I can't tell you here, but I can show you if you want."

Gwaine kept up with her, even untangling his wrist from her fingers. He kept pace with her quite easily and they passed through the city unnoticed. "We're going to the lake?"

She shook her head, "To my house."


End file.
